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Abstract:

A method, a system and an apparatus of a configurable representation of a
virtual button on a game controller touch screen are disclosed. In one
aspect, a graphical representation of a virtual control button of a video
game is rendered with a game controller processor in a region of a touch
screen of a game controller. The rendering of the virtual control button
is executed according to a layout command from a video game system. The
graphical representation of the virtual control button is associated with
another region of the touch screen. A signal that includes the
association of the other region with the graphical representation of the
virtual control button is communicated to the video game system. The
video game system generates a layout update command.

Claims:

1. A method comprising:rendering, with a game controller processor, a
representation of a virtual control button in a region of a touch screen
of a game controller according to a layout command from a video game
system;associating the representation of the virtual control button with
an other region of the touch screen;communicating a signal comprising an
association of the other region with the representation of the virtual
control button to the video game system; andconverting the signal to a
processor readable code to cause the video game system to generate a
layout update command.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:generating the layout update
command;communicating the layout update command to the game controller
processor; andrendering, with the game controller processor, the
representation of the virtual control button in the other region
according to the layout update command.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:providing at least one of a
graphical representation and a haptic representation of the virtual
control button in the other region.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:assigning a value to the
virtual control button according to at least one of a particular mode of
the video game system, a skill level of a particular video game player
and a particular video game environment.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:modifying at least one of a
shape of the representation of the virtual control button and a size of
the representation of the virtual control button.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the representation of the virtual
control button is associated with the other region of the touch screen
during a runtime mode of the video game system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein associating the other region of the
touch screen with a control element further comprises:recognizing a
tactile force in the region of the touch screen; anddetecting a motion of
the tactile force of the other region of the touch screen.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:associating an other
representation of an other virtual control button with the other region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a machine is caused to perform the
method of claim 1 when a set of instructions in a form of a
machine-readable medium is executed by the machine.

10. A system comprising:a video game system;a game controller
communicatively coupled with the video game system;a game controller
processor to render a representation of a virtual control button in a
region of a touch screen of the game controller according to a layout
command from the video game system, to detect an association of the
representation of the virtual control button with an area outside the
region of the touch screen, and to generate a signal comprising the
association of the representation of the virtual control button with the
area outside the region;the touch screen of the game controller to
display the representation of the virtual control button; anda virtual
control button module of the video game system to analyze the signal
rendered by the game controller processor, and to generate a layout
update command to cause the game controller processor to an other
representation of the virtual control button in the area outside the
region.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the game controller processor renders
the representation of the virtual control button in the area outside the
region according to the layout update command.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual control button module
assigns a value to the virtual control button according to at least one
of a particular mode of a video game, a particular skill level of a video
game player and a particular video game environment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual control button module
provides a haptic indication of the virtual control button.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual control module modifies at
least one of a shape of the representation of the virtual control button
and a size of the representation of the virtual control button on the
touch screen during a runtime mode of the video game.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual control button modules
recognizes a drag and drop operation as the association of the
representation of the virtual control button with the area outside the
region.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual control module associates
the representation of the virtual control button with the area outside
the region during runtime mode of the video game.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the virtual control button module
modifies the at least one of the shape of the representation of the
virtual control button and the size of the representation of the virtual
control button according to a pre-defined gesture on the touch screen.

18. A method comprising:rendering, with a processor of a game controller,
a virtual button to display on a specified location of a touch screen of
the game controller according to a layout command from a video game
system;determining an association of the virtual button with an other
location of the touch screen; andgenerating a signal comprising the
association of the virtual button with the other location of the touch
screen, wherein the signal causes the video game system to communicate a
layout update command to the game controller.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:configuring the virtual
button in the other location of the touch screen according to the layout
update command; andrendering, with the processor of the game controller,
a haptic indication of the virtual button on the specified location of
the touch screen.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:rendering, with the
processor of the game controller, a graphical indication of the virtual
button on the specified location of the touch screen.

Description:

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001]This disclosure relates generally to video game input, and, more
particularly, to a method, apparatus, and a system of a configurable
representation of a virtual button on a game controller touch screen.

BACKGROUND

[0002]A video game player may use a game controller (e.g. a hand-held game
controller, a pointing device) to provide input into a video game
processing system. For example, the video-game player may use the game
controller to control a behavior of an entity (e.g. a representation of a
player character, a vehicle, a space craft) of a video game. The game
controller may include a physical control button. The physical control
button may be a tangible mechanical assembly placed at a fixed location
on the game controller.

[0003]Additionally, a video game experience may change as the video game
player progresses through various levels of the video game. For example,
the video game may become more difficult as the video game player
increases in skill level. Moreover, the video game may present a
different environment to the video-game player as the video game
progresses. However, as the experience of the video game changes, the
physical control button remains in the fixed location because it is
mechanically integrated into a housing of the game controller. The
location of the physical control button may not accommodate changes in
the video game experience and/or to variations in preferences of the
video-game player. Furthermore, the video-game player may prefer another
location other than the fixed location. For example, a game controller
designer may locate a particular type of physical control button on a
right-hand side of the game controller because a majority of video game
players are right handed. As a result, a left-handed video-game player
may find the location of the particular type of physical control button
on the right side of the game controller awkward. The video game player
may become frustrated with the limitations of the physical control
button. As a result, the video game player may have difficulty in playing
the video game, and the video gaming industry may lose valuable revenue
opportunities.

SUMMARY

[0004]A method, apparatus and a system of a configurable representation of
a virtual button on a game controller touch screen are disclosed. In one
aspect, a method includes rendering, with a game controller processor, a
representation of a virtual control button in a region of a touch screen
of a game controller according to a layout command from a video game
system. The method includes associating the representation of the virtual
control button with another region of the touch screen. The method also
includes communicating a signal comprising an association of the other
region with the representation of the virtual control button to the video
game system. In addition, the method includes converting the signal to a
processor readable code to cause the video game system to generate a
layout update command.

[0005]In addition, the method may include generating the layout update
command. The method may also include communicating the layout update
command to the game controller processor. The method may further include
rendering, with the game controller processor, the representation of the
virtual control button in the other region according to the layout update
command. The method may also include providing a graphical representation
and a haptic representation of the virtual control button in the other
region. The method may also include assigning a value to the virtual
control button according to a particular mode of the video game system, a
skill level of a particular video game player and a particular video game
environment.

[0006]In addition, the method may include modifying a shape of the
representation of the virtual control button and a size of the
representation of the virtual control button. The representation of the
virtual control button may be associated with the other region of the
touch screen during a runtime mode of the video game system. The other
region of the touch screen with a control element may also include
recognizing a tactile force in the region of the touch screen and
detecting a motion of the tactile force of the other region of the touch
screen. The method may include associating another representation of
another virtual control button with the other region.

[0007]In another aspect, a system includes a video game system, a game
controller communicatively coupled with the video game system, and a game
controller processor. The game controller processor of the system may
render a representation of a virtual control button in a region of a
touch screen of the game controller according to a layout command from
the video game system. In addition, the game controller processor of the
system may detect an association of the representation of the virtual
control button with an area outside the region of the touch screen. The
game controller also may generate a signal comprising the association of
the representation of the virtual control button with the area outside
the region. The system may also includes the touch screen of the game
controller to display a representation of the virtual control button. In
addition, the system may include a virtual control button module of the
video game system to analyze the signal rendered by the game controller
processor. In addition, the virtual control button module of the system
may generate a layout update command to cause the game controller
processor to generate another representation of the virtual control
button in the area outside the region.

[0008]The game controller processor may render the representation of the
virtual control button in the area outside the region according to the
layout update command. The virtual control button module may assign a
value to the virtual control button according to one or more of a
particular mode of a video game, a particular skill level of a video game
player and a particular video game environment. The virtual control
button module may provide a haptic indication of the virtual control
button.

[0009]The virtual control module may modify one or more of a shape of the
representation of the virtual control button and a size of the
representation of the virtual control button on the touch screen during a
runtime mode of the video game. The virtual control button modules may
recognize a drag and drop operation as the association of the
representation of the virtual control button with the area outside the
region. The virtual control module may associate the representation of
the virtual control button with the area outside the region during
runtime mode of the video game. The virtual control button module may
modify the shape of the representation of the virtual control button and
the size of the representation of the virtual control button according to
a pre-defined gesture on the touch screen.

[0010]In yet another aspect, a method includes rendering, with a processor
of a game controller, a virtual button to display on a specified location
of a touch screen of the game controller according to a layout command
from a video game system. The method also includes determining an
association of the virtual button with another location of the touch
screen. In addition, the method includes generating a signal comprising
the association of the virtual button with the other location of the
touch screen. The signal causes the video game system to communicate a
layout update command to the game controller.

[0011]In addition, the method may include configuring the virtual button
in the other location of the touch screen according to the layout update
command. The method may include rendering, with the processor of the game
controller, a haptic indication of the virtual button on the specified
location of the touch screen. The method may include rendering, with the
processor of the game controller, a graphical indication of the virtual
button on the specified location of the touch screen.

[0012]The methods and systems disclosed herein may be implemented in any
means for achieving various aspects, and may be executed in a form of a
machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when
executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform any of the operations
disclosed herein. Other features will be apparent from the accompanying
drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF DRAWINGS

[0013]Example embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not
limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like
references indicate similar elements and in which:

[0014]FIG. 1A illustrates a game controller with a configuration of
representations of virtual control buttons on a touch screen, according
to one embodiment

[0015]FIG. 1B illustrates the game controller with another touch screen
configuration, according to one embodiment.

[0016]FIG. 2 illustrates executing a drag and drop operation to associate
a graphical representation of a virtual φ button with another region
of the touch screen, according to one embodiment.

[0017]FIG. 3A-B illustrates a multi-touch operation to modify a size and a
shape of a graphical representation of a virtual μ button, according
to one embodiment.

[0018]FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a game controller system,
according to one embodiment.

[0019]FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a video game system, according
to one embodiment.

[0020]FIG. 6 is a process flow that illustrates configuring a
representation of a virtual control button on a touch screen of a game
controller, according to one embodiment.

[0021]FIG. 7 is a process flow illustrating a method of configuring a
touch screen of a game controller, according to one embodiment.

[0022]Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the
accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023]A method, a system, and an apparatus of a configurable
representation of a virtual button on a touch screen of a game controller
are disclosed. Although the embodiments have been described with
reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that
various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments
without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various
claims.

[0024]FIG. 1A illustrates a game controller 103 with a touch screen
configuration 101A, according to one embodiment. The touch screen
configuration 101A includes representations of virtual control buttons on
a touch screen 100 of a game controller 103. The touch screen
configuration 101A is rendered according to a layout command from the
video game system 105. The virtual control buttons (108, 110, 112) may be
both graphically and/or haptically represented with the touch screen 100.
It should be noted that the virtual control `buttons` may be graphical
indicators of any shape, size, and/or form. In FIG. 1A, the touch screen
configuration 101A includes a graphical representation of a virtual
α button 110. The touch screen configuration 101A includes a
graphical and haptic representation of a virtual β button 108. The
touch screen configuration 101A includes a graphical representation of a
virtual γ button 112. The touch screen configuration 101A includes
a graphical representation of a virtual Δ button 114.

[0025]The game controller 103 may be a handheld video game input device.
The game controller 103 may be communicatively coupled to a video game
system 105 via a network 120. The game controller 103 may also set a mode
and/or an operation value of the video game system 105 (e.g. play mode,
user preferences mode, volume video display values, etc.) with a mode
control button 104. A further explanation of the architecture and
operation of the game controller 103 will be provided below in the
description of FIG. 4.

[0026]The video game system 105 may include a computer that executes video
game software. The video game system 105 may use an input (e.g. a signal)
from the game controller 103 to govern an action of an entity of a video
game. Additionally, for purposes of this description the term video game
system 105 may include an electronic gaming system (e.g. personal
computer game systems, handheld device game systems, arcade game system).
A further explanation of the architecture and operation of the video game
system 105 will be provided in the description of FIG. 5.

[0027]The game controller 103 is communicatively coupled to the video game
system 105 via a network 120. In one embodiment, the network 120 may be
an open wireless protocol (e.g. Bluetooth®) to communicatively couple
the game controller 103 with the video game system 105. In another
embodiment, the network 120 may include a physical transmission medium
(e.g. a wire). In still other embodiments, the network 120 may be a local
area network, a wide area network and/or the Internet.

[0028]The touch screen 100 may receive input from an object (e.g. finger,
stylus) in contact with the touch screen 100. For example, the touch
screen 100 may communicate a position signal representing a user's finger
contact at a region of the touch screen 100 to a game controller
processor 402. The touch screen 100 may also synchronously recognize
simultaneous contacts from multiple objects (e.g. using multi-touch
technology).

[0029]In one particular embodiment, the touch screen 100 may provide
haptic information to a user contacting the touch screen 100. The haptic
information may include feedback provided to a user's finger upon
contacting a certain region of the touch screen 100. In another example,
the region of the touch screen 100 may vibrate at a distinctive frequency
when the user's finger contacts the region.

[0030]The touch screen 100 may also provide the haptic information with a
variable and configurable surface friction coefficient. For example, the
region of the touch screen 100 associated with the representation of the
virtual β button 108 may have a different surface friction
coefficient than the rest of the touch screen 100. In other embodiments,
the surface friction coefficient may differ only at the edge of the
region associated with the virtual β button 108. Accordingly, the
user may haptically perceive a physical control button when contacting
the region associated with the virtual β button 108 on the touch
screen 100.

[0031]The haptic information may provide the user the ability to
haptically differentiate the respective regions of the touch screen 100.
Accordingly, the user may then navigate the touch screen 100 without
periodically visually reassessing the region of various graphical
representations of the virtual control buttons. For example, the region
of the touch screen 100 associated with the representation of the virtual
β button 108 is configured to a displacement of a distance of 0.005
m with respect to the immediately surrounding area. Thus, the user may be
able to both visually and haptically identify the region of the touch
screen 100 associated with the virtual β button 108. The user may
cause a signal representing the user contact with the touch screen 100 to
be generated by the game controller 103 by contacting the object to the
region associated with the representation of the virtual β button
108.

[0032]In one embodiment, the user performs certain configuration
operations (e.g. drag and drop operation, specify patterns of contact
motion on the surface of the touch screen 100, etc.). A configuration
operation may associate the graphical representations of the virtual
control buttons with a particular size, shape and region of the touch
screen 100. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 provide further provide explanation by way
of example configuration operations. The game controller 103 may then
communicate a signal representing the configuration operation to the
video game system 105. In turn, the video game system 105 may communicate
a layout update command to the game controller 103 to render the
graphical representations of the virtual control buttons in the another
touch screen configuration 101B as shown in FIG. 1B.

[0033]FIG. 1B illustrates the game controller 103 with another touch
screen configuration 101B, according to one embodiment. The graphical and
haptic representation of the virtual β button 108 may be configured
to a new position according to the layout update command. Similarly, the
graphical representation of the virtual Δ button 114 may be
configured to a new region, size and shape, according to the layout
update command. Finally, the graphical representation of the virtual
α button 110 and the graphical representation of virtual γ
button 112 have been configured to the same region of the touch screen
100, according to the layout update command as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

[0034]In one particular example embodiment, a value of a particular
virtual control button may be modified due to a change in a level of the
video game. The video game system 105 may then communicate another layout
command to configure the particular graphical representation of the
virtual control button. For example, a user may play a first level of a
particular video game from a third-person perspective. In this level, a
user may utilize the virtual α button more frequently than the
virtual Δ button 114. As a result, during play of the first level,
the touch screen 100 may be automatically configured with the
representation of the virtual α button 110 in a more optimal
location than the graphical representation of the virtual Δ button
114. The user may play the second level of the video game from a
first-person perspective where the entity representing the player remains
in a fixed position. Consequently, during play of the second level, the
touch screen 100 may be configured with the graphical representation of
the virtual α button 110 removed and the graphical representation
of the virtual Δ button 114 in the more optimal location. The
layout update command and subsequent configuration of the graphical
representations of the virtual control buttons may occur during a runtime
mode of the video game system 105. Furthermore, the value of the virtual
Δ button 114 may be modified according to the particular skill
level of the user. For example, the value of the virtual Δ button
114 of a user may be algorithmically set according to the current score
of the user in the game environment.

[0035]FIG. 2 illustrates executing a drag and drop operation to associate
a graphical representation of a virtual φ button with another region
of the touch screen 100, according to one embodiment. The video game
system 105 may be set to a configuration mode. A user may contact a
finger to the graphical representation of the virtual φ button in an
initial position 206A. The user may perform a drag and drop operation
with the finger to place the graphical representation of the virtual
φ button from an initial position 206A to a final position 206B.
Accordingly, the game controller 103 may communicate a signal
representing the drag and drop operation to the video game system 105
with operation 214. The video game system 105 may then generate a layout
update command. The video game system 105 may communicate the layout
update command to the game controller 103 in operation 216. In operation
218, the game controller 103 may reconfigure the location of the
graphical representation of the virtual φ button in the final
position 206B according to the layout update command.

[0036]FIG. 3A illustrates a multi-touch operation to modify a size and a
shape of a graphical representation of a virtual μ button 306A,
according to another embodiment. The touch screen 100 of the game
controller 103 may allow multiple simultaneous touch points from two or
more fingers. For example, the user may contact the region of the touch
screen 100 graphically representing the virtual μ button 306A with two
fingers in an initial position 308A.

[0037]In FIG. 3B, the user may then move the two fingers to a final
position 308B. The motion of the two fingers may be in a multi-touch
pattern. The multi-touch pattern may be a predefined command used to
manipulate the size and shape of representations of virtual control
buttons of the touch screen 300. The game controller 103 may communicate
a signal representing the multi-touch pattern to the video game system
105, in operation 314. The video game system 105 may recognize the signal
pattern of the multi-touch pattern, in operation 315. Accordingly, the
video game system 105 may communicate a layout update command to the game
controller 103, in operation 316. In operation 317, the game controller
103 may then reconfigure the size and the shape of the graphical
representation of the virtual μ button 306B according to the layout
update command. In other embodiment of FIG. 3, the representations of
virtual control buttons presented by the touch screen 100 may be
configured during a runtime mode of the video game system 105 as
indicated by the mode indicator 302.

[0038]FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a game controller system,
according to one embodiment. The touch screen 100 may receive an input
from a user contact. The touch screen 100 may communicate a signal
representing the user contact to the game controller processor 402. The
game controller processor 402 may determine whether the signal is related
to a location of a graphical representation of a virtual control button.
For example, the game controller processor 402 may determine whether the
input signal includes an association of a graphical representation of the
virtual control button with another region of the touch screen 100. The
game controller processor 402 may also determine whether the signal is
related to a function of the virtual button (e.g. controlling an action
of an entity in a video game).

[0039]The game controller processor 402 may then communicate the signal to
a video game system 105. In one embodiment, the communication module 420
and the antenna 412 may be used to communicate the signal to the video
game system 105. The communication module 420 may use an open wireless
protocol (e.g. Bluetooth®) for exchanging data between the game
controller 103 and the video game system 105. The communication module
420 and the antenna 412 may also receive commands (e.g. layout commands,
layout update commands) from the video game system 105.

[0040]The game controller processor 402 may execute a command communicated
by the video game system 105. For example, the command may be a layout
command to render a graphical and haptic representation of a virtual
control button on the touch screen 100. The game controller processor 402
may then render the graphical and haptic representation of a virtual
control button on the touch screen 100. The memory (e.g. random access
memory) 404 and the persistent storage 406 (e.g. a flash memory) may
include a set of processor-readable instructions to implement commands
from and generate a signal to the video game system 105. The game
controller 103 may also include a power source (e.g. battery).

[0041]FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a video game system 105,
according to one embodiment. The video game processor 502 may generate a
command (e.g. a layout command, a layout update command) relating to a
configuration or a value of the virtual control buttons presented by the
game controller 103. In one embodiment, the communication module 504 and
the antenna 506 may communicate the command to the game controller. The
communication module 504 and the antenna 506 may use an open wireless
protocol (e.g. Bluetooth®) for exchanging data between the video game
processor 502 and the game controller. The communication module 504 and
the antenna 506 may also receive signals from the game controller 103.
The signals may be processed by the video game processor 502 according to
a set of processor-readable instructions provided by the virtual control
button module 500.

[0042]The memory 510 may include a virtual control button module 500. The
virtual control button module 500 may include a set of instructions
relating to the presentation and functionalities of virtual control
buttons. The memory 510 may also include a virtual control button. In one
embodiment, the memory 510 may include the virtual α button 518,
virtual β button 520, virtual γ button 522 and the virtual
Δbutton 524. The virtual α button 518, virtual β button
520, virtual γ button 522 and the virtual Δbutton 524 are
virtual control buttons. A virtual control button may control the actions
and/or attributes of an entity in a video game. In another embodiment, a
virtual control button may also control a state of the video game system
105. For example, the virtual α button 518 may include a set of
instructions to cause an entity of a video game to perform an action
associated with the virtual α button 518.

[0043]The video game processor 502 processes an application relating to a
video game 516 being played. The video game application 516 may include a
hardware that involves interaction with the game controller to generate
visual feedback on the video display 514. The video game application 516
may include a set of processor-readable instructions. The video game
application 516 may be installed or implemented on a physical media (e.g.
a compact disk, an optical disk storage, etc.) or through the network
120service, according to one embodiment.

[0044]The video game system 105 may include a graphics processing unit
508. The graphics processing unit 508 may include a specialized graphics
processor to render graphics on the video display 514.

[0045]FIG. 6 is a process flow that illustrates configuring a
representation of a virtual control button on a touch screen 100 of a
game controller 103, according to one embodiment. In operation 602, a
representation of the virtual control button of a video game in a region
of the touch screen 100 is rendered with the game controller processor
402, according to a layout command from a video game system 105. In
operation 604, the representation of the virtual control button is
associated with another region of the touch screen 100. In operation 606,
a signal including the association of the other region with the
representation of the virtual control button is communicated to the video
game system 105. In operation 608, the signal is converted to a processor
readable code to cause the video game system 105 to generate a layout
update command. In operation 610, the layout update command is generated.
In operation 612, the layout update command is communicated to the game
controller processor 402. In operation 614, the representation of the
virtual control button in the other region is rendered by the game
controller processor 402 according to the layout update command. The
structures and modules of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 may be used to implement
operations 602-614.

[0046]FIG. 7 is a process flow illustrating a method of configuring a
touch screen 100 of a game controller 103, according to one embodiment.
In operation 702, a virtual button is rendered with a game controller
processor 402 for display on a location of the touch screen 100 of the
game controller according to a layout command from a video game system
105. In operation 704, an association of the virtual button with another
location of the touch screen 100 is determined. In operation 706, a
signal including the association of the virtual button with the other
location of the touch screen 100 is generated. The signal causes the
video game system 105 to communicate a layout update command to the game
controller 103. In operation 708, the virtual button is configured in the
other location of the touch screen 100 according to the layout update
command. The structures of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 may be used to implement
operations 702-708.

[0047]Although the present embodiments have been described with reference
to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various
modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without
departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.
For example, the various devices, modules, etc. described herein may be
enabled and operated using hardware circuitry (e.g., CMOS based logic
circuitry), firmware, software or any combination of hardware, firmware,
or software (e.g., embodied in a machine readable medium). For example,
the various electrical structure and methods may be embodied using logic
gates, and electrical circuits (e.g., application specific integrated
(ASIC) circuitry or in Digital Signal Processor (DSP) circuitry).

[0048]In addition, it will be appreciated that the various operations,
processes, and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in a
machine-readable medium or a machine accessible medium compatible with a
data processing system (e.g., a computer system), and may be performed in
any order (e.g., including using means for achieving the various
operations). Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be
regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.